Your hands remind me of hermit *****.
Fingers fat and tiny
Curling inwards into your cuffs
Shying from the world and the cold
But blossoming to grasp at joy
To grab at a slice of bread
Or point at an excavator.

As you turn a year older
Your hermit ***** will move into bigger shells
And they'll start to reach for bigger things
Like pencils and books and controllers
Or perhaps ball into fists of rage
Or splay out to throw ***** and high fives.

Some day
These hermit *****, nestled in cuffs of linen and silk
Will open doors and sign contracts
Pluck strings of guitars and hearts alike
And hold its own pair of hermit *****

Even so
I hope they'll still fan out to hold my hands
Warmly and tightly as before
Though they fully enclose mine.

Sometimes,
I wish
Time would just
S T O P
For a second,
For an eternity or two,
So I could make this moment
Of fragile perfection,
S T R E T CH
Just a bit longer,

Before the brutalities
Of life and space
Come crashing back in,
Stomping on our delicate
Silent symphony.

Oh, for but a moment.

I would freeze time if I could
Hold you fast and tight
Breathe in your scent
And watch our son
Build and govern his kingdom
Kiss his cheek and hold his hand
While he dreams of cars and trucks
And we share noodles, trade stories
Yet
On time marches
Ever so cruelly

When your footsteps start to sink
And birdsong falls deathly quiet
When your breath starts to fog
And the snake's gaze greets you at dusk
Follow the lanterns

When fewer stars come out each night
And the sky smudges with the void
Every new moon comes in shorter intervals
And infant cry echoes from the woods
Follow the lanterns

Follow them through decaying towns
Through arid plains and foggy swamps
Seek them out in heaving crowds
And the choking smog of cities
There is always one nearby

Amidst the darkest nights
Or the coldest, crushing depths
The screaming heat of midday
Soaking the highways and byways
A lantern flickers on for you to find

Even when the rain turns acrid
And cats jump into lakes
Your spouse drives daggers into you
And the very walls swallow your voice
The lanterns will preserve you

When the baker speaks riddles
And the pages bleed into waves
The village ***** prophesies
And rebukes the high priests
Find your silver cord through the lanterns

Cling to them
When you sleep to vultures' lullabies
While your skin itches for a razor
Or wine starts tasting sweeter
And sips turn into gulps

Follow them through vale and cliff
Snow and drought
Seek the lanterns' warmth
Until your shadow returns
And ale tastes bitter again

When the sands finally shift
And you bathe in dappled sunlight
And the robins' song graces you anew
Remember the lanterns
Lest the frost takes you unguarded

Long may they guide you
Through doorways and cave mouths
From hamlet to palace
And keep your golden bowl unbroken
For many winters to come

Pursue the lanterns relentlessly
Fiercely
And perhaps one day
You will plant and light lanterns
For your sons

Beautiful dreamer
Lying in the waters
Tell me your visions.

Of phantasms of dead dreams
And former lovers
Crying to start over

Wilting chrysanthemum buds
In autumn rain
Blossoming in a swan song.

And when you're done
Look to the horizon
Impatient with lightning

Angry and pregnant
With new dreams
And restored promises.

The Land of Waking
Has awaited your return
To your rightful helm.

New frontiers await your conquest
Abandon your turgid wishes
Seize the present with both hands.

But the blossoms will never end
Water your garden
After your ****** battles.